Combined school desk and seat



2 Shets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. SMITH & J. L. HUGHES.

COMBINED SCHOOL DESK AND SEAT.

No. 582,885. Patented May 18, 1897.

Mmesses.

' m: Noam: wc'rzm cc.. manna (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. SMITH & J. L. HUGHES. COMBINED 30110011 DESK AND SEAT.

No. 582,885. Patented May 18, 1897.

Minesses. gnggars.

UNITED STATES JOHN SMITH, OF GUELPH, AND JAMES LAUGHLIN HUGHES, OF TORONTO CANADA, ASSIGNORS TO SAID HUGHES AND B. LEONARD THORNE, OF

TORONTO, CANADA.

FFICE.

COMBINED SCHOOL DESK AND SEAT.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 582,885, dated May 18, 1897.

Application filed April 30, 1896. Serial No. 589,794. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that we, JOHN SMITH, of the city of Guelph, in the county of \Vellington, and JAMES LAUGHLIN HUGHES, of the city of Toronto, in the county of York, in the Province of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Oombined School Desk and Seat, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in combined school desks and seats; and the object of the invention is to design a simple, cheap, and economical construction of combined desk and seat in which bot-h the desk and seat may be adjusted vertically to suit the different heights of scholars, and to further provide a means whereby the seat may be swung back out of the way upon the rising of a scholar and yet may be brought into its upright position upon the scholar seating himself again; and it consists, essentially, of a desk provided with a central standard, preferably square, which fits into a corresponding socket supported on three legs, the two rear legs being opposite each other and running longitudinally underneath the desk, while the front leg extends forwardly, a seat being provided which is pivoted in lugs on the front leg, such seat having also a central standard, preferably square, which is adjustable within the socket, the parts being constructed and arranged in detail, as hereinafter more particularly explained.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portionv of a set of desks and seats arranged for the front portion of a school-room. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a portion of a set arranged toward the back portion of the school-room. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of an adjustable standard and socket either for desk or seat. Fig. 4 is a cross-section showing the means for holding the adjustable back securely in any desired position. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative form of desk and seat.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

A is the desk, which is provided with the interior supplemental shelf a, as indicated.

rectangular in cross-section and is provided with longitudinal grooves 11 b.

O is a rectangular socket having the downwardly-extending legs 0 and base 0, forming part of the same.

D is a receiving-socket for the base 0, and D are the laterally-extendin g legs, which are preferably curved, as shown, and designed to be fastened at the ends to the flooring by screws extending through the flanges D. The base a is secured in the receiving-socket D by the bolt 0 D is the front leg,which is curved, as shown, and provided with a bottom flange (P, by which it is fastened to the floor by screws.

d are lugs formed on each side of the leg D in proximity to the bottom flange.

E is the seat, which is preferably formed round, and F the standard, which is provided with an upper flange, by which it is secured to the bottom'of the seat. The standard F extends through a socket G, which has legs 9, having rear offsets g, which are pivoted on the bolt 9 extending through the lugs (1 This pivotal connection is made behind the center of the seat-supporting legs.

9 is a stop extending between the legs, as indicated, and designed to limit the backward throw of the seat. (See full lines in Fig. 1 and dotted lines in Fig. 2.) The standard F has longitudinal grooves f f on two sides similar to those shown in Fig. 3.

It will be seen that the desk A may be adjusted by means of the standard B, extending through the socket O, and that it may be held in any desired adjusted position by the setscrew 19 It will be noticed that we provide, preferably, two set-screws, and that they extend through the socket G into the groove 1) and thus hold the edges of the opposite groove 17 securely against the side of the socket. This construction is the much preferable one, as it serves to securely hold the standard and effectually prevent its swaying, which would be seriously detrimental to the use of the desk.

Through the socket G extends a set-screw g which extends into the groove f and serves to hold the seat in any desired position to which it may be elevated.

The object of the shelf a in the desk A is to provide a separate place for the reception of the books and one also for the reception of the slate. It is well known that in school-desks the books are frequently pulled out when pulling out the slate, and by providing the shelf, as described, so as to form a separate receptacle a for the slate, the annoyance and inconvenience is entirely obviated.

IVe provide a back for the seat on the front of the desk. The back II is of suitable form and has a slotted bar 71/, having a substantially T-shaped slot h. I is a bolt, the head of which fits into this slot. The bolt I extends through the front A of the desk and is provided with a thumb-nut 1'. By loosening this thumb-nut the back II may be elevated to any desired position in relation. to the seat to suit the size of the scholar.

In the front desks in the scl1oolroom we preferably, of course, dispense with the seat and its supports hcreinbefore described. At the back of the room we dispense with the desk and provide instead a shelf a at the top of the standard 13. The end of the shelf is preferably provided with quadrantal plates A, so that the shelf will form a convenient receptacle for books, the. Ive provide a front II for the shelf, which forms a back for the rearmost seat. This back II of course may be adjusted in relation to the seat by means of the standard 13 in the socket C and set-screw b It will of course be understood that upon the scholar rising in his seat the mere act of rising and straightening the legs will tilt the seat back and allow the scholar to move readily from between the seat and desk in front. The tilting of the seat backwardly is necessarily accomplished 011 account of the scholar having a limited space to stand 011, so that he must necessarily tilt the seat as he rises.

It will be readily comprehended that in a school-room provided with desks such as we describe the scholar may readily stand out into the various aisles without the shuffling which is now so commonly incident to the rising or standing up of scholars simultaneously.

Although we describe the supporting-socket for the desk and legs made in two parts, it will of course be understood that we might preferably make the socket and legs in one casting, the legs in that case being preferably formed in ogee shape, or also, as shown in Fig. 5, by attaching the socket C to the desk and forming a standard B with the legs.

What we claim as our invention is- 1. In combination, the desk and standard, the supporting-legs therefor, lugs on one of said legs above the bottom thereof, the seat, the legs depending therefrom having flat bottoms, the rear offset on one of said legs arranged above the bottom thereof and pivotally connected to the lugs 011 the desk-leg, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the desk and standard, the socket to receive said standard, legs for supporting the socket, a seat provided with a central standard, a socket to receive the same, lugs on the front desk-leg, legs for supporting the seat-socket, rear oilsets thereon pivotally connected to said lugs, and a stop carried by said seat-legs designed to abut against the front desk-leg, substantially as described.

The combination with a desk and seat, of a back for said seat, a plate secured thereto having a T-shaped slot therein, a bolt passing directly through the front of said desk, a head on said bolt fitted to said slot, and an adjusting-nut thereon located within said desk, substantially as described.

JOIIN SMITH. JAMES LAUGIILIN HUGHES.

\Vitnesses:

l3. BOYD, E. R. CASE. 

